Impact of a Body Mass Index Threshold on Abdominal Wall Hernia Repair at a Safety-Net Hospital

Background Body mass index (BMI) thresholds are utilized as a preoperative optimization strategy for obese patients prior to elective abdominal wall hernia repair. The objectives of this study were to determine the proportion of patients at our institution who ultimately underwent hernia repair after initial deferral due to BMI and to evaluate outcomes of those who required emergent repair during the deferral period. Methods A retrospective review was performed from 2016 to 2018 to identify all patients with abdominal wall hernias who were deferred surgery due to BMI. Patient characteristics, hernia type, change in BMI, progression to surgery, acuity of surgery (elective or emergent), and postoperative outcomes were examined. Results 200 patients were deferred hernia repair due to BMI. Of these, 150 (75%) did not undergo repair over a mean period of 27 months. The remaining 50 patients ultimately underwent repair, 36 of which (72%) were elective and 14 (28%) emergent. The mean initial BMI of the elective group was 35.3 ± 1.8, compared to 39.1 ± 5.3 in the no surgery group and 40.6 ± 8.2 in the emergent group (P < .01). While the elective group lost weight before surgery, the other groups did not. Patients who required emergent surgery had worse outcomes than those repaired electively. Conclusions Preoperative weight loss is unsuccessful in most obese patients presenting for abdominal wall hernia repair at our institution. Patients who required emergent hernia repair had worse outcomes than those who underwent elective repair. Our institution’s BMI threshold is a failed optimization strategy that needs to be reconsidered.